


the only way you'll get through today

by SJAandDWfan



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Bantering, F/F, Prompt Fill, accidental cuddling oooh, also this is set during 3x09 so by the time that ep airs this probably won't be canon, and some bonus amaya x zari cause why the fuck not, angst related to said crossover too i'm sorry i needed to work through it a bit, but i saw ava in the promo and got excited, spoilers for the crossover and character death related to that, tent sharing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2019-02-08 20:21:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12872268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SJAandDWfan/pseuds/SJAandDWfan
Summary: For the prompt: "Shut up, I am a delight!"*She feels like she’s already failed once as captain with Stein’s death, and she’ll be damned if she lets another member of her team die.Which means that when Damien Darhk inevitably appears there, Sara actually wants to call for back up. She calls Ava against her better judgement, because as irritating as she is, she’s for sure the most competent member of the Time Bureau.





	the only way you'll get through today

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's been a couple of weeks, but uni is getting hella busy and Ava hasn't been in an episode since her minute of screentime in 3x05. But she's back, lads, and so is my will to write!
> 
> Title from "How To Return Home" from Tales From the Bad Years because I was listening to a cover and that song gives me all the feels! If you want to check it out I'd recommend the versions by Krysta Rodriguez or Lucie Jones (just a piano accompaniment, she also forgets the words near the end but styles it out adorably and I'm in love with her voice)

After the events of the whole Earth-X situation, and the resulting heartbreak that descends on the team every time they pass Stein’s empty bunk, Sara decides the best thing to do is to get back to work. She lets Jax pick where they go, and he chooses a Viking settlement in the New World, citing a level six (and growing) anachronism.

Sara’s worried about him. She’s always worried about the whole team, but right now Jax is in the stage of grief where he’s just numb. Sometimes she’ll hear him crying at night, and she’ll usually find him sat on Martin’s bed, clutching his glasses. They’re the only thing Jax has left of him, and he holds them so tightly Sara fears they’ll snap. On those nights Sara goes and sits with him, leaning her head on his shoulder and letting him talk, or not talk, depending on the day.

He’s become a brother to her, and it kills her to see him like this. Because for all the whole team are grieving, it was Jax that had been closest to Martin, and it’s Jax that now feels the most guilt over not being able to save him.

Sara makes sure the team keeps a close eye on Jax when they arrive at the time and place of the anachronism. She can’t risk him getting hurt because he’s distracted. She feels like she’s already failed once as captain with Stein’s death, and she’ll be damned if she lets another member of her team die.

Which means that when Damien Darhk inevitably appears there, Sara actually wants to call for back up. She calls Ava against her better judgement, because as irritating as she is, she’s for sure the most competent member of the Time Bureau.

Ava greets them the same as usual, because she’s clearly not an expert at reading the room, but Sara’s sure she notices they’re down a team member and there’s an unfamiliar man (Leo) there too. She takes Ava to the fabricator, because Ava sure as hell can’t just parade around in her pantsuit, and that’s when she fills her in on what’s happened.

“I’m sorry,” is the first thing Ava says, and it takes Sara by surprise.

“You are?”

“Of course I am,” Ava looks at her incredulously. “I may not be the biggest fan of your team, but I know how hard it is to lose one of them. They’re your people, and you feel responsible for them.”

“I am responsible for them,” Sara sighs. “I’m the captain and Martin died on my watch.”

“Sara-“

But now really isn’t the time Sara wants to spill her guts to someone she barely knows, let alone likes, so she cuts Ava off by throwing her the clothes the Waverider has made. She’s expecting the eyeroll that Ava directs her way after the heavy fur cloak hits her in the face.

What she’s not expecting is for Ava to start stripping off there and then.

Sara turns around (she’s a gentlewoman, after all) until Ava is done, and when she turns back, she’s taken by surprise. Ava looks _really good_ in the Viking get-up. She’s taken her hair down from its bun, too, and Sara frowns at the way her own eyes wander without her brain’s permission.

*****

They don’t really make any actual progress against Darhk the first day. Most of their time is spent trying to do recon and formulate a plan, and decidedly staying out of trouble. They make camp for the night in four tents concealed in the woods, as they don't want to draw attention to the Waverider, even if it is cloaked.

Leo and Mick take one of the tents, and Sara knows they’ve got to talk. Even though this Leo isn’t the team’s Snart, Mick still needs to talk it out, although Sara thinks he might take a lot of persuading. Ray and Nate would usually share by themselves, but Sara doesn’t even need to tell them before they clap Jax on the shoulder and invite him to “the official bro tent”. Sara sees Amaya roll her eyes fondly, and Sara’s about to ask how their sleeping arrangements are going to work before Zari seizes Amaya’s arm and practically drags her into the third tent.

Sara very much gets the impression they don’t want her to follow them, and her eyebrows shoot up. She’s not entirely sure what’s happening between them, or when it started happening, but she figures the girls will fill in the blanks when they’re ready.

This leaves her with Ava and a tent.

And it’s ridiculous, because she’s shared tents and beds and various sleeping spaces with lots of people, both platonically and otherwise (just last week she’d woken up to Alex Danvers falling butt-first out of her bed), but the prospect of sharing a tent with Ava, alone, sets her on edge.

She and Ava exchange a glance before heading inside, and Sara realises the tent is a lot smaller than she’d originally thought. She removes her cloak and rolls it up to act as a pillow, settling on her back and trying to ignore the fact that Ava is right next to her. This reaction, coupled with whatever she’d felt when she saw Ava in the Viking clothes, gave her pause.

Sure, Ava was attractive, Sara had noticed that pretty much upon meeting her, but she’d never caused the stirring of weird feelings before today. Sara thinks back to her parting conversation with Alex, and wonders if this is what she meant when she said there was somebody out there for Sara, and for more than one night, but she quickly pushes those thoughts aside. She doesn’t _like_ Ava, that would be ridiculous.

She hears Ava sigh from next to her.

“Can you turn your brain off, please?” She whispers. “I can hear you thinking from here.”

“Like you’re any better,” Sara shoots back. “Try breathing through your nose. I don’t want your snoring keeping me up all night.”

“I don’t snore,” Ava protests.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Sara says.

“You’re an idiot.”

Sara gasps in mock offense. “Shut up, I am a delight!”

Ava actually laughs at that, and Sara finds her own lips quirking upwards in response. There’s silence for a few minutes, before Sara sighs and shifts onto her side.

“Night, Ava,” she murmurs.

“G’night,” she hears in response, and from the sound of her voice, Ava’s already drifting off.

Soon enough, Sara hears Ava’s breathing even out, and it’s not long before she follows suit.

*****

Sara’s dreams start off standard enough, but it’s not long before they morph into nightmares. She finds herself reliving the moment Martin was shot over and over again, just as powerless to do anything as she was when it actually happened. She hears Jax’s anguished cry, and her own sharp intake of breath, and the awful sounds of gunshots from all around her. She’s panicking. She needs to get to where Stein lays, bleeding out on the concrete, but she can’t get enough cover, she’s fighting for her life as it is and she feels so _useless_ and then her body is being shaken and she’s not sure which way is up anymore.

She jolts awake with a strangled gasp, sitting up and almost butting heads with Ava, who had been leaning over her shaking her awake.

“Sara, hey, look at me,” Ava is saying, as Sara’s wild eyes take in her surroundings. She’s in the tent, she’s with Ava, she’s safe, but Martin…

Sara can’t help it, she breaks down in tears for the first time since Stein’s death, and she doesn’t realise how much she’s been holding it in until everything comes to the surface. She feels arms wrap around her after a moment’s hesitation, and she leans into it reflexively.

“It was just a nightmare,” Ava whispers after several minutes, and Sara shakes her head.

“It was memories,” she manages to get out. “Martin, I… I should’ve done more. I should’ve been able to save him.”

“Listen to me,” Ava says firmly. “It’s not your fault. You may be the captain, but you can’t always save everyone.”

“But…” Sara’s not even sure what she was going to say as she trails off.

“Look, I didn’t know him, but was he the type who would blame you for this?” Ava tries again.

“Well, no,” Sara admits, relaxing slightly as she takes in Ava rubbing a hand across her back, calming her ragged breathing.

“Then I doubt he’d want you to have such a guilt complex that you’re having nightmares,” Ava says, and Sara has to admit she’s making sense. She suddenly feels drowsy again.

Ava lets her go as they lie back down, but Sara doesn’t want to part company completely. She covers Ava’s hand with her own, just to feel the warmth of her skin, and notices how Ava sucks in a breath.

“Is this okay?” She asks.

“Yeah,” Ava says. “Whatever you need.”

Sara uses Ava’s hand to ground her, as she feels herself slipping under again, this time into a mercifully dreamless sleep.

*****

Sara’s on the brink between sleep and consciousness, and she feels warm. She feels comfortable, which is unusual given she’s in a tent in the middle of the woods and it was definitely cold the last time she woke up.

She keeps her eyes closed as she wakes, trying to figure out why she feels so secure, and she slowly realises that during the night she’d rolled onto her side. Not only that, but Ava had followed her, and Sara can feel an arm slung around her waist, Sara’s own hands holding Ava’s palm to her heart. She can feel the length of Ava’s body pressed against her back through their clothes, too, and she resists the urge to leap away.

Sara knows she can be a cuddler in her sleep, but she had no idea Ava was too, and that piece of knowledge sends a bit of a thrill through her.

As far as she can tell, Ava is still sound asleep, so Sara takes advantage and lets herself relax into the embrace. It’s been a while since she’s been held like this, and she’s actually quite enjoying it. For all she’s close with her team and she hugs them quite a bit, she’s not sure she’s actually realised how touch-starved she’s been in this way. It feels _nice_ , Ava holding her while she sleeps, and once again Sara’s mind wanders to her conversation with Alex.

She doesn’t have much time to consider, though, as Ava stirs behind her. Sara pretends to be asleep to gauge her honest reaction, and she’s honestly not surprised when she hears Ava curse softly and tentatively try to withdraw her arm. Sara’s not going to make it easy though, and she tightens her grip on Ava’s hand.

“I know you’re awake, asshole,” Ava says, and Sara bites back a laugh.

“Just how I like to be greeted in the morning,” she replies, her voice scratchy from the lack of use and the crying combined. Still, she lets Ava go, and rolls onto her back. Ava shuffles backwards, but stays on her side facing Sara, propping her head up on her other hand.

“How are you?” She asks warily, like she’s not sure how much of a right she has to be asking, and it’s actually sort of endearing.

“Better, I think,” Sara says. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but thank you.”

Ava shrugs, and doesn’t look her in the eyes. “It was nothing.”

“Bullshit,” Sara chuckles. “What you said, it meant a lot. I actually don’t think I knew how much I needed to hear it.”

Ava does look her in the eyes then, biting her lip like she’s trying to talk herself out of something, or talk herself into something.

“Although,” Sara continues, “I’m not happy about being the little spoon.”

“Yeah, right,” Ava scoffs. “You love it. Besides, I’m always the big spoon, so deal with it.”

“We’ll see about that,” Sara narrows her eyes. The bantering feels normal, even if the subject matter doesn’t. “I’ll have you know I’m the biggest of big spoons.”

“You’re a nerd and I’m taller than you,” Ava says, looking at Sara strangely and taking a deep breath, like she’s actively psyching herself up for something.

Sara’s brow furrows in confusion, but before she can ask, Ava leans over and kisses her.

If waking up to Ava spooning her hadn’t made Sara realise how touch-starved she’d been, then Ava kissing her is all the confirmation she needs. Sara reaches up to tangle a hand in Ava’s loose hair, keeping her head in place as she kisses back eagerly. Ava’s lips are softer than she had been expecting, and she kisses more gently than Sara had been expecting, and altogether it’s a lot to deal with.

Ava’s hand cups her cheek, her thumb stroking slowly over the skin, and Sara melts into it. She knows their timing isn’t the best, and she knows Ava is aware of that too, but she can’t bring herself to care too much as Ava’s tongue slips into her mouth, pulling a moan from her lips. Part of her marvels at how gentle and soft Ava’s been over the past day, and she wonders if maybe deep down this is the real Ava, and not the hard, strict agent that Sara had first thought she was.

Sara’s so focused on the way Ava captures her bottom lip between her own and sucks that she doesn’t notice the tent flap being pulled back until she hears a muffled squeal from outside. She and Ava jump back from each other like they’ve been burned, and Sara turns to glare at Amaya and Zari, who are looking at them with slack-jawed expressions.

“What?” Sara demands, and Zari opens her mouth to speak before a look from Amaya silences her.

“The boys are insisting on catching breakfast,” she says. “We’re gonna go over the plan again while we eat.”

“Maybe they’ve already eaten,” Zari murmurs to Amaya, and Sara picks up her makeshift cloak pillow and throws it at Zari’s head.

“You’re one to talk,” Sara fires back as Ava clears her throat. “Judging from that mark on Amaya’s neck.”

Both Zari and Amaya’s eyes go wide, and Sara would find it hilarious if she weren’t so embarrassed at being caught making out with Ava. She’s not sure why she’s embarrassed – she isn’t usually – but then again she’s getting the feeling that Ava means more than most of the others have.

“Truce?” Zari suggests, and Sara rolls her eyes. She turns to Ava, who looks at her with raised eyebrows, as if she can’t quite believe the way the day is already going. Sara just hopes she can get used to it. She turns back to her friends with a smirk.

“For now,” she allows, before clearing her throat. “Right, so the plan. We start chanting and then do the hokey cokey until Darhk’s magic goes away?”

“That’s plan F,” Ava reminds her. “In case the first five plans don’t work.”

Sara shrugs. “I still think plan F is the best hope we’ve got.”

Ava glares at her, but there’s a playfulness to it, and Sara finds herself grinning back. She half-hears Zari make a snarky comment, but that’s okay. She has ammunition of her own now.

**Author's Note:**

> As ever, my tumblr is ilovemyships and although I may have to take a pause on prompts cause they're taking me fucking ages to get through, I always appreciate anyone who wants to come talk to me about anything. Come scream at me about avalance and/or amari, I love it!
> 
> Also, I have one or two Christmas themed fics planned, so stay tuned.


End file.
